Thinking of Buying My First Car - Need HELP

**olm093** · January 22nd, 2010 02:02 AM

Hi! I'm thinking of buying my first car. I'm a first time driver (have yet to go to driving school) and will be getting it through the car facility program of my company. The limit is P660k and if I'm getting a unit na beyond that ang price, max. contribution ko is an additional P120k, but let's please limit the budget to P700k.

Considerations are the ff:
Budget - P700k max (sana)
Driver - first time, lady driver
Tranny - super preferably A/T
Passengers - most of the time i'll be alone but would bring my mom & 2 siblings with me from time to time
Usual route - around Metro Manila (lagi kasi ginagabi from the office), and going home to the province (via nlex/sctex) monthly

My Options:
1. brand new Nissan Sentra 1.3 GX A/T
PRO: well within budget, A/T pa and it has a bigger body (good for my not so petite family :D); i think i prefer the more classic look
CON: my only worry is baka bitin sa power, but it's not like kaya ko magpatakbo ng mabilis so baka ok na din? and the negative perception of the public for Nissan

2. Honday City, ung base model na 1.3 M/T
PRO: well, honda cia... and porma? haha! plus the other features na wala dun sa sentra
CON: not sure din, kasi mukha ciang transformer (nyarks). i think after a year magsasawa ako sa look nia. i'm compromising my high preference for a/t

3. Second hand Civic a/t (around 2006 or 2007)
PRO: well, it's a Honda... and Civic na cia...
CON: 2nd hand, mejo kinakabahan ako kasi first time lady driver at mejo paranoid ako na itirik ako ng isang 2nd hand unit

Di ko po talaga maciadong trip ang Vios kasi ang dami na nia sa daan (and the City malapit na din maging ganun).

So.. SHOULD I GO FOR BRAND NEW OR 2ND HAND? WHAT UNIT WILL BE GOOD FOR ME?

THANKS IN ADVANCE! APPRECIATE YOUR FEEDBACK.

**blue_gambit** · January 22nd, 2010 02:19 AM

Of the three you mentioned, City gets my vote... pony-up some more cash and get the 1.3 A/T so you'll be satisfied. The looks? it'll grow on you...

Originally Posted by olm093

Hi! I'm thinking of buying my first car. I'm a first time driver (have yet to go to driving school) and will be getting it through the car facility program of my company. The limit is P660k and if I'm getting a unit na beyond that ang price, max. contribution ko is an additional P120k, but let's please limit the budget to P700k.

Considerations are the ff:
Budget - P700k max (sana)
Driver - first time, lady driver
Tranny - super preferably A/T
Passengers - most of the time i'll be alone but would bring my mom & 2 siblings with me from time to time
Usual route - around Metro Manila (lagi kasi ginagabi from the office), and going home to the province (via nlex/sctex) monthly

My Options:
1. brand new Nissan Sentra 1.3 GX A/T
PRO: well within budget, A/T pa and it has a bigger body (good for my not so petite family :D); i think i prefer the more classic look
CON: my only worry is baka bitin sa power, but it's not like kaya ko magpatakbo ng mabilis so baka ok na din? and the negative perception of the public for Nissan

2. Honday City, ung base model na 1.3 M/T
PRO: well, honda cia... and porma? haha! plus the other features na wala dun sa sentra
CON: not sure din, kasi mukha ciang transformer (nyarks). i think after a year magsasawa ako sa look nia. i'm compromising my high preference for a/t

3. Second hand Civic a/t (around 2006 or 2007)
PRO: well, it's a Honda... and Civic na cia...
CON: 2nd hand, mejo kinakabahan ako kasi first time lady driver at mejo paranoid ako na itirik ako ng isang 2nd hand unit

Di ko po talaga maciadong trip ang Vios kasi ang dami na nia sa daan (and the City malapit na din maging ganun).

So.. SHOULD I GO FOR BRAND NEW OR 2ND HAND? WHAT UNIT WILL BE GOOD FOR ME?

THANKS IN ADVANCE! APPRECIATE YOUR FEEDBACK.

**olm093** · January 22nd, 2010 02:25 AM

I'm thinking of the 1.3 a/t actually... mejo nalalakihan lang kasi ako sa cash out ko if ever... pag un eh, ipon ipon muna tayo... hehe. nasa almost 100k din kasi ang magiging cash out ko. i don't have the finances for it now, in 6 mos. pa siguro kung un nga.

i'm waiting din for the new sentra... baka sakaling may lumabas this year... sana di maciado magtaas ang price

**rpp** · January 22nd, 2010 02:28 AM

I agree with blue_gambit. Go for the city

Honda/Toyota are way ahead in this class (personal).

**olm093** · January 22nd, 2010 02:45 AM

How about po the choice between brand new or 2nd hand?

Pag brand new, for me, mas may peace of mind ako na hindi ako biglang ilalaglag nung sasakyan ko.

Pero iniisip ko din, talong talo ako sa depreciation ng brand new kasi the value will go down by almost P100k for the first year. Baka mas practical to get a 2nd hand unit instead?

**a9828** · January 22nd, 2010 06:27 AM

i suggest you add the lancer gls 1.6 to your choices (bang for the buck, same with sentra). it's around 750k but has a compact body (safety) and and ample 1.6 engine (for your nlex/sctex trips). same price more or less with 1.3 city a/t but given the usual long trips, i think it's better value for you. check it out here:

http://www.motioncars.com/carchart/h...shi_lancer.htm

the sentra's actually a very good choice also. the 1.3 engine should be ok as you'll just be driving around manila most of the time. it would be a bit slow though on the highway. i use a 1.3 jazz sometimes on nlex, naiinip ako sa bagal kapag relaxed driving. once a month lang naman so ok na rin.

on brand new vs 2nd hand - if you can find a reliable 2nd hand civic, go for it. pero if you don't know the previous owner and car's condition, bago na lang. warning lang: the civic is medyo hard to drive kasi you can't see the hood at all.

depreciation is depreciation but think of the value and convenience a car gives and the feel of actually smelling a new car. senti value pa yan since first car mo rin.

good luck and make sure you test drive all options! drive properly hehe!

**rpp** · January 22nd, 2010 08:49 AM

Originally Posted by olm093

How about po the choice between brand new or 2nd hand?

Pag brand new, for me, mas may peace of mind ako na hindi ako biglang ilalaglag nung sasakyan ko.

Pero iniisip ko din, talong talo ako sa depreciation ng brand new kasi the value will go down by almost P100k for the first year. Baka mas practical to get a 2nd hand unit instead?

hehe... I was always a fan of buying 2nd hand cars because of the depreciation reason... before... hehe... nothing beats a brand new car... tama si sir a9828, unless you are completely comfortable that the car is in good condition, every sound you hear will bring back some doubt if you swindled or not. That's where the 100k goes. hehe.

**daimengrui** · January 22nd, 2010 03:28 PM

How about a Hyundai Accent na diesel?

**renzo_d10** · January 24th, 2010 11:49 AM

Honda City A ? Nah. And, the TS' preference is a vehicle that has an A/T tranny ... so why bother going for the M/T if, there are other options that you could opt for that has an automatic transmission which goes within the TS' budget.

And, with the lack of the A's features PLUS with it's high price. Think twice, esp. if you have a limited budget.

Toyota Vios E A/T comes to mind. Yeh, it definitely has better features than of the City's. Don't really think about the Vios being plentiful on streets, it just proves that the vehicle is... a mighty vehicle. ;)

I`m not really saying that the City is a crappy car. It's just that, the price is so high plus, Honda's maintenance is quite pricey too.

Think about it.

**ghosthunter** · January 24th, 2010 12:17 PM

Originally Posted by olm093

Hi! I'm thinking of buying my first car. I'm a first time driver (have yet to go to driving school) and will be getting it through the car facility program of my company. The limit is P660k and if I'm getting a unit na beyond that ang price, max. contribution ko is an additional P120k, but let's please limit the budget to P700k.

Considerations are the ff:
Budget - P700k max (sana)
Driver - first time, lady driver
Tranny - super preferably A/T
Passengers - most of the time i'll be alone but would bring my mom & 2 siblings with me from time to time
Usual route - around Metro Manila (lagi kasi ginagabi from the office), and going home to the province (via nlex/sctex) monthly

My Options:
1. brand new Nissan Sentra 1.3 GX A/T
PRO: well within budget, A/T pa and it has a bigger body (good for my not so petite family :D); i think i prefer the more classic look
CON: my only worry is baka bitin sa power, but it's not like kaya ko magpatakbo ng mabilis so baka ok na din? and the negative perception of the public for Nissan

The Nissan Sentra is a great car even if the styling hasn't changed for over five years. The 1.3L engine is more than enough to accelerate the Sentra to expressway speeds, it might be a bit slow if it's fully loaded but still fast enough if you push the engine a bit.

The A/T is smooth in shifting.

Exterior styling is kinda bland for me but it works for others. Interior is spacious, great for five people of the normal adult size (not malnurished adults standards that some car companies used to rate some of their vehicles). A/C is cold and capable of cooling the interior even on the hottest of summer days.

As for the negative perception of Nissan, which one are you referring to?